Big Responsibilities and a Father's Love
by FirefliesFlash
Summary: Reid's thoughts as he holds his son for this first time. A "Music and the Genius" one-shot. Set in the future. Contains spoilers for 9X24 "Demons" and 7X05 "From Childhood's Hour". Rated K .


**Hey everyone! Sorry about my absence from this site for over a month! I'm finishing my summer class, so I'll have more frequent updates soon! Anyway, I had this idea for Father's Day. This is set in the future and really has no impact on my story right now. It's just an idea I had to get out. I'm afraid I'm showing my hand a bit early, but I just had to get this idea out here. Thanks once again to Annber03 for helping me edit this! Read and review please! They really make my day!**

**Disclaimer: Contains spoilers for 9X24 "Demons" and 7X5 "From Childhood's Hour".**

Spencer watched in amazement as the tiny baby cooed and waved its tiny fist while wrapped protectively in Teagan's arms. He couldn't believe that it had finally happened; he was a father. He couldn't believe that he was partially responsible for creating a human life. Teagan smiled up at him before looking down at their son. _My _son. They both looked so beautiful. He knew that even if he didn't have an eidetic memory, the image of his wife first holding his son would never leave his mind.

"You want to hold him?" Teagan asked, shifting slightly so she could hand the newborn to Spencer. He nodded in response, too overcome with emotion to speak. He reached forward, his hands trembling slightly. Teagan gently handed him the infant, who began crying from the sudden movement. Even though he had held Henry several times when he had been a baby, this was entirely different. He was responsible for this infant's life. _What if I accidentally drop him?_ _I never dropped Henry, but J.J. was always there to step in if needed._ The baby continued to wail. He knew that a baby's cry was around 110 decibels, which was just below the standard threshold of pain at 120 decibels. So a baby's cry was between the sound of a roaring engine and siren. _How do I make him stop crying? _Spencer jostled him a bit, trying to soothe him, but that only caused him to wail more. He frowned slightly, wracking his brain for the solution. He could be hungry, cold, in pain…there could be a variety of reasons. He knew J.J. said she could always tell when Henry was hungry by his cry. But his son had only been alive for exactly twenty minutes and had either been wailing or asleep. He wasn't able to discern between his cries yet.

"Shh," Spencer soothed, looking down at his son. _He's so beautiful. _Spencer could already see some of his own features echoed in his son's face along with Teagan's. He had her nose and cheekbones and his brow line and mouth. Spencer traced the tip of his index finger gently along the slope of the tiny nose, entranced. The baby gurgled mid-cry. Spencer continued tracing along the nose and brow line until the baby stopped crying.

"Huh," he marveled. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"What?"

"In some of the research I did while you were pregnant, I read that if you rub a baby's brow line and the bridge of its nose, it will soothe them."

"You didn't know that?" Teagan asked. "I thought everybody knew that. I did that with my cousins when they couldn't sleep when they were younger."

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

"No," she stated, biting her lower lip. "I still want him to be named after you. I like the name Ethan! Really, I do, but I think he should definitely be named after you. But Ethan Spencer and Spencer Ethan just don't sound right." She crinkled her nose. Ever since they discovered the baby was to be a boy, they had difficulties coming up with a name. Spencer wanted to name the child Ethan, a small tribute to the friendship he shared with Blake. Teagan loved the name and the reasoning behind it, but she insisted on naming the child after Spencer.

"We could use my middle name, even though I hate it. Then he would technically still be named after me. So his name will be Ethan Walter Reid," Spencer stated, looking down at his son in complete adoration.

"Oh, that's perfect," she breathed. "Ethan Walter Reid. He's beautiful, isn't he?"

"Yes," Spencer murmured in agreement. "I've been thinking…"

"And? What else is new?" she teased.

"We haven't been able to decide on who we'd like to be his godparents. And you know I originally wanted to return the favor to J.J. and Will, but," he trailed off, licking his lips. "Wouldn't Blake and Rossi make great godparents for Ethan?"

"I was thinking the same thing!" she exclaimed. "I mean, Alex played an important part in naming Ethan and I've always thought of Dave as a grandfather figure. They'll make great godparents. You don't think Will and J.J. will be mad, do you?"

"No, of course not. I told everyone we hadn't decided yet."

"When should we tell them?" she asked, looking down at Ethan, who was also sleeping away soundly.

"Whenever you'd like. Everyone's all ready to meet him. There's, uh, quite a party going on in the waiting room thanks to Garcia and Lily."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from those two." He chuckled in response, leaning down and kissing Ethan's forehead. Ethan fidgeted in his sleep. _This child is mine. He's part of me._ _I wonder if he's going to be like me or Teagan._ He thought back to Henry's birth and how J.J. had made him promise to get Henry into Yale if anything happened to her or Will. _Would Ethan go to Yale? I mean, it was my safety school. And I can get Ethan into CalTech with one phone call too. But what if Ethan doesn't want to go to college?_

"You're thinking," Teagan observed, interrupting his thoughts.

"What if Ethan doesn't want to go to college?"

"What?" Teagan asked, clearly confused.

"I was just thinking about a promise I made to J.J. when Henry was born. She made me promise to send Henry to Yale if anything happened to her or Will. But.…what if Ethan doesn't want to go to college?"

"Spencer," Teagan said softly, reaching up and placing her free hand against his cheek. "Calm down. We'll deal with that when we get there. Meanwhile, we have several hundred sleepless nights and poopy diapers to get through."

"You're right," he answered, still looking slightly worried. She studied his face carefully. _What's wrong? I know he's read almost every book on pregnancy and parenting that there is to read. And he's already worried about college and things that haven't happened yet. I mean, I know he's nervous about being a dad and I know he wants to do right by his son, but…..oh…."_

"You're not him, you know," she stated, searching his face again.

"What?"

"You're not your father," she answered, trying to remove any doubt he had. "You're not weak. You're honestly one of the strongest men I know, Spencer Reid."

"But what if I screw up? What if I fail him?" Spencer asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"That's parenting. We're not going to be perfect all the time," she responded, touching Ethan's cheek with her index finger. "But he's always going to be loved dearly. And he's going to grow up to be a great man, just like his father."

"You really think so?" Spencer asked, overcome with emotion.

"I _know_ so," she replied, smiling slightly. "Now, do you think this little guy is ready to meet the rest of his family?"

**CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM**

Thirty minutes later, the team was squeezed inside the tiny hospital room.

"He's so cute!" Garcia squealed as she held Ethan. "Look at those little ears and nose and mouth! Your Auntie Penelope is already in love with you."

"Okay, Baby Girl," Morgan said. "Hand him here. He needs some Uncle Derek time." Garcia handed Morgan the infant, who was surprisingly sleeping soundly during the whole ordeal of meeting his new family.

"Be careful and don't drop him," Garcia ordered.

"I'm not going to drop him!" Morgan exclaimed. "Look at you. You're going to be a Pretty Boy just like your dad." Spence flushed red and licked his lips nervously. "When you're older, I'm going to teach you how to drive."

"No, you're not!" Teagan and Spencer shouted simultaneously causing a collective laugh to fill the tiny hospital room. The loud noises startled Ethan who began wailing loudly. Derek unsuccessfully tried to calm him. Spencer reached for his son and immediately began calming him, speaking in soft, soothing tones.

"Spence! You're a natural!" J.J. exclaimed.

"Does that really surprise you?" Rossi asked. "He's read almost every book on parenting there is." Spencer ignored his comment and continued to soothe his son. Despite his efforts, Ethan wailed louder.

"I think he's hungry again," Teagan stated. "I think he's going to take after me and get angry if he doesn't eat." Spencer nodded and handed the baby to Teagan.

"I think it would be best if we all stepped outside to give Mommy and baby some privacy," Garcia stated. "And it looks like Daddy could use some coffee."

"That would be perfect," Reid replied. After being with Teagan through sixteen hours of labor, he was exhausted. Childbirth really was a miracle. He had no idea how Teagan had managed it. He glanced over at his wife in amazement. She looked up, her blue eyes meeting his.

"Go," she ordered. "You've done enough. You need a break and some caffeine."

"I love you," he said, leaning forward and kissing his wife and son on the forehead.

"We love you too," she answered. Spencer and the rest of the team exited the tiny, sterile hospital room into the hallway. Rossi and Blake were the last two people to leave the room.

"Congratulations, Kid," Rossi said, clapping him on the shoulder. Blake smiled at him, her eyes misty.

"Thanks. I, uh, well, Teagan and I have something to tell you. Alex, you know you played a critical part in the naming of Ethan. And Rossi….you're like a father to me," Spencer began, his voice cracking for the second time that day. "Teagan and I would like, um, for the both of you to be Ethan's godparents."

"Us? Really?" Blake asked, astonished as tears sprang to her eyes. Reid nodded as she stepped forward to envelop him in a hug.

"Thank you," Rossi said, a genuine touch of gratefulness in his voice. "This is such an honor. I'm truly touched that you both thought of me."

"I don't know what to say," Blake replied, her voice wavering. "I'm so touched that you thought of me as well. Just to have you name your son after mine meant a lot." She wiped the tears from her eyes away quickly.

"Both of you have always been so special to me. And I wanted you to play a special part in my son's life as well." Reid's voice swelled with pride when he said the words "my son". Rossi looked at the tall lanky man. He had seen the way Reid held Ethan, the expression on his face a mixture of pride, joy, amazement, confusion, and nervousness. _I guess that's the face all first time fathers make_. Rossi thought. Rossi could tell that Reid was worried about what type of father he was going to be. He understood Reid's worries all too well, of course, but seeing Reid smile just now, he knew the young man would be just fine.

"Ethan's going to be really lucky," Alex stated. "He's got a set of great parents." Spencer blushed again and looked down at his feet.

"This all just seems so surreal, you know?" he murmured, looking up at the two with a slight smile on his face. "I never thought any of this would happen for me." Rossi smiled and patted his shoulder again.

"It couldn't happen to a better person, Reid," Rossi said. "You're going to be a great dad."

"Thanks guys," he answered, blushing again.

"Any time," Alex answered. "Now let's got get some coffee."


End file.
